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The vibrant, iridescent wings of exotic butterflies are among Damien Hirst’s most enduring materials, recurring time and time again in his oeuvre as a symbol of the transience of life. A kaleidoscopic mosaic of these gem-like insects, Covenant, 2007, is exemplary of the artist’s iconic large-scale butterfly paintings. The image so compelled the artist—and epitomized his practice—that he took it up once again for an edition of screenprints six years later. With concentric circles unravelling like a Catholic prayer labyrinth, Covenant is a poignant meditation on ephemeral beauty and renewal. Indeed, according to Rod Mengham, “Hirst’s prolonged exploration of the life cycle of the butterfly, its spectacular visual appeal, the mythological and cultural formations it has inspired, and the variety of forms of response it has provoked in both artists and scientists, is one of the most thoroughgoing and many-sided conceptual projects sustained by any contemporary artist.”